Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber has issued a stern warning to his team amid its struggles.
The Philadelphia Phillies fell to the Washington Nationals by a score of 6-3 on Tuesday night and have now lost eight of their last 12 games.
Suddenly, their lead in the National League Wild Card race has shrunk to two-and-a-half games, and the playoffs are by no means guaranteed.
Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber seems to understand the urgency surrounding the situation, and he delivered a warning to his team before the final game of its short two-game set with the Nationals.
"It’s going to be a grind. There’s no doubt about it. It’s not like (the playoffs are) guaranteed," Schwarber said. "We've got to go out and win ballgames. We knew we had the group capable of being the team that can hold up a trophy at the end of the year. We know that. But we also have to go out and win games. I think the writing’s on the wall. We have to show up and be ready to go tomorrow. It’s only going to keep shortening up the season."
Schwarber did his part on Tuesday evening, going 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk. However, Philadelphia managed just five hits as a whole, and it achieved just one hit off Washington's shaky bullpen.
To make matters worse, All-Star pitcher Jesus Luzardo is now on the 15-day injured list due to shoulder inflammation, and his status for the postseason — if the Phillies get there — is now up in the air.
Schwarber's power has returned this month, as he has homered five times in 13 games in September. However, he is slashing just .200/.293/.500, marking the third straight month he owns an OPS below .800.
The 33-year-old has been nursing a back injury that initially occurred in late June and has clearly hampered him ever since. He managed just three homers and seven RBI in July before totaling seven long balls and 20 RBI in August, but it seems pretty clear that something is still bothering the four-time All-Star.
Whatever is plaguing Schwarber and Philadelphia, they need to get over it soon. The Arizona Diamondbacks are closing in, and the Phillies don't seem to have any answers at the moment.
The good news? Philadelphia has a four-game series with the New York Mets right after finishing up with the Nationals, so the Phils have some easy opponents on tap.
Whether or not they actually take advantage remains to be seen.
